Comics worth thousands of zlotys, and chairs from donors. Szlachetna Paczka responds to the allegations
TVP Info's material from this year's edition of Szlachetna Paczka sparked a heated discussion on the Internet. On the beneficiary's shelves – comics worth thousands of zlotys. In the living room – a computer with water cooling. And in the packages from donors there are chairs so that the family can sit at the table. We asked the WIOSNA Association how this is possible.
An entry appeared on the Wykop.pl website, which within a dozen or so hours gathered nearly 3,000 views. likes and hundreds of comments. The author drew attention to a TVP Info report devoted to a family receiving gifts as part of the Noble Gift Program. The family received 29 parcels – including chairs, thanks to which, as the journalist reported, they could sit down for a Christmas Eve meal.
However, in the background of the recording you can see something that does not fit the image of poverty: shelves full of comics and a water-cooled computer with an LED screen, illuminated frames and a large monitor. “The AIO with a screen alone costs PLN 500+,” one of the commenters said. Another added: “The DC collection on the shelf is easily several thousand zlotys.”
A shelf is worth more than a chair
I collect comics myself and have known this market for years. On the shelves visible in the material you can recognize, among others: DC Comics and Alien collector's editions. Such items on the secondary market reach PLN 200-300 per piece. Total value of visible collection? A few, maybe several thousand zlotys. For this amount you can buy more than just chairs.
It is hardly surprising that Internet users reacted. The question “why didn't he sell?” it appeared in the comments dozens of times. And this is a question that every collector would ask himself if he found himself in a situation where he lacks basic needs. I know because I would do it myself.
PLN 248 per person
We sent questions to the WIOSNA Association, the organizer of Szlachetna Paczka. The response we received changes our perspective.
The beneficiary – Mr. Łukasz – is a single father. With the support of her mother, she raises a daughter with a disability. The family's monthly income is PLN 3,100. After bills and treatment costs, approximately PLN 248 per person remains. Mr. Łukasz himself is also sick – he needs an urgent ophthalmological procedure, which he cannot afford.
And this computer? According to the Association's press office, it is 4-5 years old, and 90 percent its prices were covered by a PFRON subsidy for people with disabilities. The comic book collection is a collection built over the years – while Mr. Łukasz worked and led a stable life. Some of the items are gifts from other collectors.
“Forcing him to sell his former passion as a condition for receiving help would, in our opinion, deprive him of his dignity,” we read in the response from the Szlachetna Paczka press office.
How does Paczka verify families?
The association provided us with data that shows that qualifying for the program is not a formality. In this year's edition, over 10,000 applications were rejected. reported families. 920 were eliminated at the formal stage, nearly 4,900 were excluded before the volunteer's first visit, and almost 4,000 – after the first meeting at home. Another 700 were withdrawn later.
Main reasons? Too high income (33%), lack of willingness to cooperate and change (28%), inappropriate attitude towards unemployment (19%).
Each family is visited at home at least twice by two volunteers. They assess not only income, but the full context: treatment costs, causes of difficulties, readiness to act. However, the Association emphasizes that it does not conduct an inventory of movable property and does not value items on shelves.
Poverty has many names
The sight of expensive comics in the apartment of a person using a charity package is irritating – and it has the right to irritate. Donors who provide aid want to be sure that it goes where it is really needed. But one frame from a reportage is not a complete picture of someone's life. A computer subsidized by PFRON, a collection from better times, single fatherhood, a sick child, PLN 248 per person per month – these details were not included in the recording.
Last year, Szlachetna Paczka touched nearly 720,000 people and provided aid worth over PLN 84 million. Such programs rely on the trust of donors and each questionable case undermines this trust. However, before we pass judgment based on a screenshot, it is worth knowing the whole story. It sometimes happens that a person who doesn't seem to be poor simply hasn't had time to look different yet.
